Epic Romances and Gryffindors
by OnAndOnAndOn
Summary: I refuse to believe that someone like Sirius Black went out of this world without at least one epic romance.


_Made a plan, stay the man who can only love himself, lonely was the song I sang 'til the day you came._

It was **odd.**That was the most description Sirius would allow himself to give the situation. He had tried desperately for all of sixth year not to put too much thought into it, to not get caught up in scary thoughts like he was prone to do sometimes. But he couldn't help letting that one thought escape. It was **odd.**It was purely strange, nothing more, that the girl he had spent so long mocking and teasing throughout the years would become the girl he looked for first when he entered a room, the girl he would choose to sit next to over his best friends when they were all huddled around in the common room.

Sixth year was definitely the year of change. Tensions outside of the safe castle walls became so much worse, disappearances becoming frequent, deaths being reported every week. It was the year where most petty feuds were put aside a few times. Lily Evans, although not giving into his still relentless pursuit of her, had stopped having shouting matches with James. James, although not giving up on trying to get her to say yes to him, wasn't nearly as much of an idiot as he had been the year before. And Sirius and Marlene…well their fierce tempers would always collide at times but it wasn't with the same passion anymore. They no longer had full out arguments, he didn't send her into crying fits and she didn't toy with his pride so much so that he ended up sulking for an entire night or screaming in her face. The older years slowly became closer, friends who should have never been united under fear.

And Sirius got a whole face full of this new unity on the very first day back from the summer of fifth year. He had arrived with the Potters of course, since he had been staying with them since the beginning of summer, when he had run away from his obscenely abysmal family. He shot a glance at his younger brother Regulus and immediately regretted it. His sibling was staring straight at him with a look of deep resentment and, despite the grin that Sirius shot at his best friend, it burned just a little. His parents had years and years of badly shaped views and prejudices, but a part of him couldn't help wondering if he could have stopped his little brother from going down that path by just paying a bit more attention to him.

Thoughts of his family were quickly pushed right of his head as he turned, caught a glance of the bright red Hogwarts Express and was then momentarily blinded by a mass of curly brown hair. A pair of tiny, yet incredibly strong arms wrapped around him, nearly making him fall right over onto the hard ground. He steadied the girl and then looked down into her slightly red but smiling face.

"M-Marlene?"

She beamed at him and nodded.

"Oh thank god," she murmured, staring at him, not with the usual mocking look and smirk but with genuine concern, "I was sure you'd get into some kind of trouble over the summer."

He grinned back at her, incredibly aware of the amount of staring eyes on them at the moment. One fourth year who had been caught in the middle of one of their infamous arguments had actually stopped to stare.

_Oh come on people, go back to staring at James or something, we're having a fricking moment._

"Now why on earth would you think I'd get into some trouble McKinnon?"

She shrugged and he saw her eyes dart towards his family, a few feet away.

"I just. I…I was just worried." She admitted. He nodded, genuinely touched by the concern. The silence that fell between them at this point seemed to make her realise what she had just done – jump readily into the arms of a boy she had only recently learnt to not glare at the moment he entered a room – and she suddenly began to turn a bright red. He grinned wider and was about to say something, probably something that would have changed her mind about worrying about him and made her think him an arrogant twat once again, when one Lily Evans bounced over. Sirius was vaguely aware of his best friend perking up but he couldn't pay attention to that when all he wanted to do was desperately drag Marlene away so they could not have their moment ruined. Lily didn't seem to notice that she had ruined said moment. Maybe there was never a moment. Oh god, Sirius suddenly though, I'm turning into James.

With that mind numbingly frightening thought in place Sirius edged away from the two squealing girls and determinedly ignored the word 'moment' that was flitting around his mind.

"Sirius?" James was grinning at him in a meaningful kind of way. Sirius showed his best friend his favourite finger and gestured to the trunks.

"We should get these on the train mate. And quit ogling at me. I'm about as interested in you as Evans is."

He dodged out of the slap James had aimed at his head and went to hug the Potter's, kissing James' mother on the head and whispering something charming that made her blush and his dad chuckle, before heaving his trunk to the train. He refused to look in the direction of his mother or brother, who he was sure were staring at him with the usual contemptuous look on their faces.

Once on the train they quickly met up with Remus, tall and thin as usual, casually telling off a group of third year boys with his Prefect badge shining on his chest, and Peter, still small and rounded, looking perpetually nervous even in the company of his friends. They had seen each other just a few days ago at James' house, where they had lounged around and made predictions about the upcoming year (James would get Lily – "fat chance Prongs." "Fuck you Padfoots, it could happen!" – Remus would fail a test– "Moony, you're going purple." etc.) but that didn't stop Sirius and Remus from having an incredibly overdramatic running hug in the middle of the train, earning themselves disapproving looks from the Heads and frightened looks from the tiny First Years. Sirius let out a bark of laughter at the look on the Head Girl's face before releasing Remus, brushing fake dirt from his withered jumper and looking him straight in the eye.

"Now Remus, that's no way to set an example for the other years. You're a Prefect for goodness sake! Now where's that stick, we need to make sure it's right up your arse, nice and settled in for the rest of the year."

This earned him another dirty look from the Head Girl but a shout of laughter from James and Peter. Remus raised his eyebrows at the three of them but said nothing, leading the way into the compartment he and Peter had already made themselves at home in.

"So Sirius, what was that with Marlene?"

Remus, a small, sneaky smile spreading on his face, and Peter looked up.

"What? What happened with Marlene? She didn't hex you again did she? You don't look hexed. Did _you_hex her? Because that didn't go too well last time and-"

"Peter. Shut up." Sirius said, grinning, "I didn't hex her! Nothing happened. We had a talk. She was worried that my incredibly attractive behind had gotten into trouble this summer. I believe those were her exact words. James is just trying to live through me because Evans _still_does not want to fuck him."

James threw a glare at him before turning to Remus and Peter.

"She jumped him. I thought there was going to be another fight until I realised it was a _hug._ And she was all like 'oh Sirius I was _so_worried about you!" James adopted a high pitched voice and began stroking Remus, who edged away, to further illustrate his point, "Oh I thought something had happened to you and if it had, oh that would have completely foiled my plans to shag your brains out."

"Fuck you Potter." Sirius snapped, though he was laughing. Remus raised his eyebrows at him.

"Well I never saw that coming. But get in there Sirius; I fully give that my blessing. She _might _be a good influence on you. Although I was so sure she hated your guts. Maybe there's hope for you after all James, with Lily."

James perked up. Sirius groaned.

"No. No. Do not get his hopes up. You are getting over her this year Potter. No more of this moping."

"No, no, I think Remus has a point Sirius."

Sirius sighed. How his friend could still have such faith in the fiery little redhead coming around was beyond him but at least they had gotten off the subject of Marlene. James seemed to force himself out of his Lily daydream and zoned back in on his best friend.

"So...Marlene, eh Sirius? Going to get married? Have little shits for kids with horribly arrogant attitudes?"

Sirius sighed and made an obscene hand gesture at his best friend.

"Piss off. She just hugged me! Plenty of girls hug me! I'm incredibly huggable. I'm adorable. Have you not seen me? I'm Sirius fucking Black. I'm hot."

Remus cleared his throat, attempting to suppress a smile. Sirius zeroed in on his other best friend, smirking.

"Oh don't get jealous Remmy; you know I'm always up for a good old shag from you."

Remus glared at him.

"You know, I'm starting to think those rumours started because of your uncontrollable need to make sex jokes that involve me and you."

"What rumours?" Peter piped up. Sirius fixed him with an incredulous look.

"Are you joking me Pete? Fifth year consisted of Remmy and I being hounded by girls, convinced we got up to all sorts of dirty business

Peter nodded slowly; clearly unaware of what Sirius was talking about. James sighed.

"Peter, you are honestly such a complete and total-"

The compartment door slid open and the one girl in the entire world who could make James Potter shut up walked in, her red hair a lot longer than it was last year and an unsure look in her eyes. Marlene followed quickly, shooting a smile at Remus and waving at Peter, both of whom nodded back. She looked at Sirius, however, when she spoke,

"Mind if we sit in here? The other compartments are full."

Lily smiled.

"And Alice won't stop eating Frank's face and it's making us both feel sick."

"That too."

It wasn't entirely clear who answered quicker, James or Sirius, but it was more than obvious from their hurried agreement that Lily Evans and Marlene McKinnon were _always_welcome in their compartment.

_**So I'm rehashing all my old stories and actually getting them you know…FINISHED this summer, I hope, so yeah, hi, I'll be your author for this evening, please make yourself comfortable and enjoy the ride. Or don't. Up to you. **_


End file.
